Majesty: The Adventures of the Lost Brother
by Fairy Red
Summary: Chapter 5 up! An unexpected spell sends an average American kid into the world of Ardania! Hopefully much better than this sounds. Rated for future fantasy violence, minor drama, and a few instances of suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1: Ardania

**Majesty: The Misadventures of the Lost Brother**

**Disclaimer: **She doesn't own Majesty or the company that founded Majesty. …this must be a first, Fairy Red doing a fanfic about a non-Nintendo related game…

**A/N: **Say whatever you like, you can't deny that Majesty is a fun game! Anyway, his is a story about this 15-year-old American kid who somehow stumbles into the Majesty world, where he is known as "Jaeris" of the Temple of Lunord. There he meets Krypta priestess Ryoko, her Discord warrior brother Tenchi, and the little brother cultist Shining Moon. Got it? Good, let us begin!

**Chapter One: Ardania**

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John was your average 15-year-old American kid. He lived in California with a mom and dad, and three younger sisters. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, with tanned skin. He was a junior in high school, even if his grades weren't exactly up-to-scratch. John had a small group of friends he always hung around with, and they all shared many common interests. One of them was the PC game called Majesty.

The day was as ordinary as any other. It was 2:26 PM on a Friday, and John and his friends were walking home from school. "Hey, how far are you guys in Majesty? I only have a few areas cleared," said one of his friends.

"I'm barely started," said another quietly.

"I have most of the beginner and advanced levels cleared," said another friend.

_Maybe I should impress all of them,_ thought John, and he boasted out loud, "Well, I have the whole map cleared up!"

"Whoa!" said a friend. "Really!!? Cool, how did you do it?!"

"You even cleared the master quests?!" demanded another friend.

"How did you beat the Liche Queen?!"

John smiled smugly. "It was soo easy!"

The truth was that John didn't even open his Majesty CD case.

"Wow," said the friend again. "You even cleared Darkness Falls?"

"Childs play," answered John.

"Cool," said the other friend. "I bet you played the game non-stop since you said you bought it a week ago, right?"

"You're amazing, John," said a friend.

"Yeah, well, maybe if I can come over to your house, then I could give you a few pointers."

As John walked up the driveway to his house, his friends waved goodbye. "See you tomorrow, John!"

"Bye," called John back, walking into his house. "Mom, dad, I'm home!" he announced.

"John, go clean the attic," responded his mom.

John sighed, swinging his backpack onto the table and taking his shoes off. "I love you too, mom," he answered under his breath as he made his way to the attic. "It's so musty up here," he complained to himself. "Why can't they ask my sisters to do it? Noo, they have to ask poor John, who had a really long day…"

He stacked a few boxes in a corner, swept away some dust, and rearranged some of the furniture.

"There," said John half an hour later. "I finished…" He made for the door, and tripped over a box. "Ow! Son of a…" he shook himself off, and was about to pick up the box when a particular book caught his eye. The front cover read "Magic Spells". John looked around, and picked the book up. "Ooh," he breathed. "A magic book! I wonder if it really can do magic?"

"John, are you almost done up there?" called his mother.

"Er, yeah, almost," called John back, leafing through the magic book. "Hey, this one looks cool," he said, reading the spell name. "Whoa… 'Nuuchichiruyu'… Sounds strange. I wonder if I should try to cast it." John looked around. "It's worth a try," he decided, reading the spell.

John believed in magic, but he never tried it himself. Now was a good chance. His father didn't approve of 'magic', and his mother always thought that this family couldn't cast magic. And his three younger sisters think magic-users are old hags and wizards.

"Okay," said John. "I gotta to gather herbs and stuff… Fine, wait here," he said to no-one in particular, and hurried to his room to gather herbs and stuff he needed to cast the spell.

"John, aren't you done yet?" demanded his mother.

"Not yet," said John hurriedly as he thumped up the stairs.

"For goodness sake, John, just vacuum the dust up!"

John sighed. He was the only one in his family who was allergic to dust, so they always made him clean the attic up whenever it got super-dusty. _Tch,_ thought John. _If only my mom wasn't an ex-boot-camp-drill-sergeant-military person… Bah, never mind. I want to cast this spell…_

He followed the instructions of the spell, mixing the herbs right.

"Now, this incantation is hard to read…" John squinted as he struggled to read the thin text that contained the incantation.

As he was muttering the incantation, he didn't realize that magic was beginning to move around him.

"Hah! Okay, got it!" he said triumphantly. John read the incantation louder, and suddenly… "Whoa!!!" Everything was going black around him. "What's…?" the question stopped before it could be completed. As quickly as it got dark, everything around him was clear, bright, and sunny. "What the heck? Where am I?" asked John, standing up. Looking around, he saw that was at the edge of the forest. And to the north was a grand city, with a huge palace in the middle.

"I heard something," said a voice, the bushes rattling near John.

"Eh… hello?" asked John.

A hooded head stuck up of the bushes. It stared at John.

"Hey, hi, er… could--could you tell me where I am?" asked John.

The hooded head narrowed it's eyes, and disappeared.

"…gee," said John walking towards the city.

"Halt!" yelled someone.

"Aah!" yelled John in surprises, whirling around to see a guard marching towards him. "I--I didn't do it!" he said instinctively.

"Guilty conscience, eh? Who are you, and where are you from?!"

"Uh…uh…tell me where I am first," said John. "You see, I'm kinda lost. I didn't mean to end up here, it was an accident."

"What do you mean?" questioned the guard.

"You see, I tried a spell, I thought it sounded cool, but it took me here. I didn't think the spell was actually gonna work."

"Spell? A spell brought you here?"

"Yeah…"

"Really? But you don't look like a Wizard," he said.

"No, I'm not a wizard," said John, thinking that this was a strange place. "You see, I'm American."

The guard tensed. "A--American?" he repeated.

"…yeah."

The guard stared for a few minutes, then suddenly yelled, "GUARDS!!! SEIZE HIM!!!"

"Seize him?!" repeated John as guards hurried out of the palace and grabbed John.

"Take him to see the king!" said the guard, and the guards started to take him to the palace when suddenly someone stopped them.

"Wait! Wait, you're making a mistake!" A man with a red and white turban and white tunic and pants hurried to them.

_Whoa, he's fast,_ thought John. _I didn't see him two seconds ago!_

"He said he was American!" said the guard, pointing at John. "How can I be making a mistake, Zintar, if he said so himself?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" scoffed Zintar. "Remember, about 7 months ago, we sent him to that kingdom to retrieve something at the bidding of Lunord! Surely not even you guards of the palace would defy the word of a god?"

_Lunord? Hey, that sounds like something out of Majesty,_ thought John, remembering one of his friends play Majesty.

"He looks nothing like him," retorted the guard.

"They may have changed his appearance," answered Zintar. "But his aura is as clear as ever! It's him, the one we thought to be lost… It's Jaeris, of course!"

"He died, according to the Krypta high priestess."

"She must have been mistaken, for Jaeris stands here alive and well!" Zintar turned to John. "Well? Go on, tell him who you are!"

John stared at Zintar. _What a weirdo… Who the heck is Jaeris? But if I say yes, I might get out of trouble… _"Yes, of course I'm Jaeris!"

"What? But--But you just said that you were American!"

"He's been gone a long time," mused someone in the crowd.

"Yes," agreed another man who was dressed like Zintar. "Who knows what they did to Jaeris in America? Maybe they tortured him or something."

John nodded. "But--But that… His clothing…" spluttered the guard.

Zintar grabbed John's arm. "That's enough, he needs to be resting at home," he said to the guards, and he and the other hurried to a pyramid-looking building.

_That was really weird,_ thought John. "So, uh… What happened while I was gone?" asked John casually.

Zintar glanced at him. "You certainly do sound much more cheerful… Not much, everything has been going around OK… but we still need that item Lunord asked you to retrieve from America. You did, didn't you?"

"…no, I didn't," answered John slowly.

"Oh," said Zintar, looking disappointed. "I hope Lunord won't be angry… When one of those American Helia girls stole the treasure of Lunord for their kingdom, I, of course, knew that would anger Lunord… I sent you because I thought you were the most experienced of the adepts here… I'm sorry you failed."

"It wasn't Jaeris's fault!" piped up the other adept. "He said that the Americans tortured him. Maybe they drove him to insanity or something."

"But I'm fine," insisted John. "Really. Just… uh, tired."

The adept noticed Jaeris's bag. "Hey, what's in there?" he asked.

_Oops! I forgot about that,_ thought John, glancing at his backpack. _Eh?! How on Earth did THAT get there?! I left it on the table!_ "Oh, a few things from… er, America."

"Oh."

"Well, Jaeris, you know where you're room is. I'll see you tomorrow." Zintar lanced sideways at the adept. "You too," he said. "Welcome back home, to Ardania."

John stared, nodded, and followed the adept up the stairs. "Hey, uh, where's my room again?" he asked,

"Right there, Jaeris," said the adept, pointing to the door on the left to him. "It's really nice to have you back, all the other adepts really look up to you," he said.

"Oh, uh… thank you," said John uncertainly as he entered the room, closing the door. He flopped belly-first onto the bed. "Oof… owie, too hard…" He rolled onto his back, looking at the stone ceiling. "Ardania, Zintar said… Wow, that magic spell really did work, huh…? I'm _inside_ the game Majesty? Or am I actually IN Ardania…? Well, being in this situation, I guess I have no choice…"

He looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly.

"Whoa!!! Hey, it's the middle of the day!" He jumped out of the bed. "I can't waste the day away in here!"

The adept hurriedly opened the door. "Is something wrong, Jaeris?" he asked, looking around. "Something attack you? Or did you see something frightening?"

"It's the middle of the day!" said John. "I have to be outside! I can't stay in here!"

"Oh, don't worry, I offered to take over your day patrol for tomorrow. After I rest, I'll patrol. Don't worry, Jaeris, I have it covered!"

John stared for a second. "No, that's not-- Patrols?"

"Yes, remember, you usually took the day patrol. But seeing as you have just come back from America, you'd be better off taking the night shift. No one else is available."

"Patrol? As in patrol the city? Isn't that the guards job?"

"Oh, no, they only guard the peasants and tax collectors. We're fast, and we can teleport, so the king decided to build us the Temple to Lunord agreeing that we keep the kingdom safe."

"Oh… Uh, okay."

"By the way, Jaeris, I left a new set of clothes for you in the chest. I bet you're getting tired of those American styles."

"Yeah…" said John slowly. After the adept left again, John opened the chest to discover a set of adept clothing, and a sheathed scimitar. "Hey, craziness! A sword," said John excitedly. "I guess being this 'Jaeris'…" He looked out the window again. "Okay," he decided. "Seeing as this is for real, I'm not 'John; anymore… I'm now Jaeris Moonshadow of the Temple to Lunord!"

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**Not a bad beginning, huh? Do tell me what you think, okay? See you then!**


	2. Chapter 2: Purely Chaotic

Majesty: The Misadventures of the Lost Brother

Disclaimer: **I prefer to use the Agrela, Dauros, and Helia. **

**A/N: **Yeah, and I'm the opposite, I use Krypta, Fervus, and Lunord. But now I cheated, and I have ALL the temples, even Agrela, Dauros, Helia, and Krolm. Cool, huh? Anyone can do that, just hit "enter" and type: build anything. Then you can build everything! And to make buildings complete w/o waiting for peasants to build it, hit "enter" and type: restoration.

**Mario: **Why don't you write an FAQ?

**Me: **Nah, won't bother. Anyway, let's move on with it!

**Chapter Two: Purely Chaotic**

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Jaeris was still asleep about 7 hours later when the adept opened the door. "Jaeris?" he asked.

Jaeris lifted his head sleepily. "What?" he asked.

"It's time for your patrol."

"…what time is it?"

"Uh… I don't…" he paused, looking outside. "Why, the moon has just risen!"

Jaeris stared at him, and glanced at his watch, which miraculously still worked; it read 7:30 PM. "It's 7:30 PM," he told the adept groggily. "Get out of here, I just got to sleep 20 minutes ago…"

"Come on," urged the adept cheerfully. "The moon shines brightly, it's a beautiful night!"

Jaeris groaned loudly, pulling the covers over his head. "No…"

The adept sighed and strode over to him. "Jaeris, do you feel okay?"

"I'm sleepy," said Jaeris, glaring one eye at the adept. "Go away…"

"Eh? Sleepy, but… You have to patrol the city!" he walked out of the room and called over his shoulder, 'Be ready to patrol in five minutes time, Zintar said."

Cursing under his breath, Jaeris got up from the bed, and groggily wiped his eyes. "Darn it," he mumbled, and heaved himself downstairs.

There were a few more adepts downstairs, some coming in from patrol, and others getting ready for patrol too. Zintar noticed Jaeris and waved him over. "Oh, good, Jaeris, you're awake. Come over here."

"Sure, what is it?" asked Jaeris.

Zintar pointed to some areas on the map. "You'll patrol the east side of the kingdom. Go around the Krypta Temple, past the warriors guild, twice around the Fervus Temple, past the marketplace, then come back, okay? Then you can take care of the areas around the castle."

Jaeris stood there, staring at the map. "Come again?" he asked.

"That's the area you must patrol," said Zintar.

"…Uh, sure…right…uh, can I bring that map with me? I, er, I forgot the way around the kingdom."

"Forgot?" repeated Zintar, staring at Jaeris curiously.

"Yeah…"

He sighed. "Very well, Jaeris, here you go." Zintar handed the map to Jaeris. "Do try to remember everything, Jaeris."

"Right," answered Jaeris, drawing a line to mark where he should patrol. "Okay, I'll be back before sunrise!" Jaeris took off towards the Krypta Temple. "Whoa!!" Jaeris stopped upon seeing a gothic-looking temple. From the inside he could hear church bells ringing solemnly. "Ooh… what a creepy place… This must be the Krypta Temple," said Jaeris to himself.

One of the priestess stepped out of the temple and walked right into Jaeris. "Ow!" she yelled as she fell to the ground.

"Oh! Oh, jeez, I'm sorry, let me help you up," said Jaeris, holding out a hand.

The priestess slapped it away. "I don't need your help, knave!" she snapped, standing up. She stared Jaeris up and down. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Joh--Jaeris," answered Jaeris, rubbing his hand. "Ow, you certainly have a hard hand…" he remarked cheerfully.

"You're not Jaeris," she said sharply.

"…uh…"

"…Come with me," she said suddenly.

"What…? Why, who are you?" asked Jaeris.

"My name is of no importance when compared to the needs of Krypta," said the priestess coldly.

"How can I trust a priestess who won't tell me her name?" asked Jaeris.

"…" the priestess glared. "…I'm Sister Darksoul."

"Darksoul?" repeated Jaeris.

"_Sister_ Darksoul!" snapped Darksoul.

"…right, Sister Darksoul… Uh, why do you need me?"

"Just keep quiet and follow me. You are about to step into the worship temple to mother death, Krypta…" Darksoul grabbed Jaeris's hand and led him into the temple.

"Whoa, hey, what are you doing?!" demanded Jaeris. "I'm meant to patrol the city, I don't have time for rituals!"

"Quiet," said Darksoul. She looked around. "Yes, now's the perfect time…"

"Now? Why now?" asked Jaeris, curious now.

"…come on, let us not wait any longer." Darksoul led Jaeris into a trapdoor, she and Jaeris going deep underground into the Krypta Temple.

"Where are we going?" asked Jaeris a half-hour later.

"We, Jaeris, are inside the ritual callings of Krypta. Wait here while I gather the other sisters."

"Ritual?" repeated Jaeris, making a face. "No, thanks, I'd rather not…"

"What do you mean?"

"…Uh, nothing… I guess I'll wait here…"

"Do that." Darksoul closed the door, leaving Jaeris in the dark.

"Aieeeee!" yelled Jaeris in surprise. "Aah! It's dark, I'm scared of the dark!!" He pounded on the door. "Hey, Darksoul!! I mean… uh, Sister Darksoul! Wait for meeeee!"

No one answered.

Jaeris sighed. "Curse my luck," he muttered. He groped his way around the dark room and found something hard and solid. "Ah, I'll sit on this." He sat down on the hard solid thing and waited. And waited. And waited… He sighed. "What should I do…?" he reached for his bag, pulled out a flashlight. He shined it on the walls to see what the room looked like.

Skeletons hung from the wall, the ceiling dripped some water, and there were various bloodstains on the walls, ceilings, and floor.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!! THERE ARE DEAD THINGS HERE!!!" screamed Jaeris in complete shock. "SK-SKELETONS, AND BLOOD ON THE FLOOR! ….is that blood fresh?" he asked curiously.

He poked the blood on the floor. It was still fresh.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" screamed Jaeris again. "THERE'S FRESH BLOOD ON THE FLOOR!!!"

At that moment, the door flew open, and 20 or so priestess drifted in, suddenly making the room much colder then it was 5 minutes ago. "What is that?" asked Darksoul, staring at the flashlight.

"This…uh, what…my…" stammered Jaeris, staring at the blood on the ground.

"That, in your hands!" snapped Darksoul.

"What…? This is my magic light!" said Jaeris, thinking quickly. He shone it onto Darksoul, who recoiled, hissing like a vampire. The other priestesses backed up.

"Magic light?" repeated the sister, shielding her eyes from the light.

"Yes! From this magic light, I can summon demons!" With that, Jaeris shined the light on the wall, and doing a small shadow puppet on the wall.

All the priestess stared at the shadow puppet in shock, but Darksoul narrowed her eyes. "This can't be a demon…" she muttered, half to herself. She walked towards the shadow puppet and cautiously placed a hand on the shadow puppet. When she did, nothing happened.

Sister Darksoul glared at Jaeris, who gulped and lowered the flashlight. "I, uh… I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Bind him down!" she yowled, and the priestess swarmed around Jaeris, slamming him down against the long hard solid thing, which Jaeris realized it to be…

"OH MY GOD!!! YOU'RE GOING TO SACRIFICE ME?!??!" he yelled in shock.

"I'm glad you catch on quickly," said Darksoul, pulling out a long, jagged knife.

Jaeris's eyes widened. "Oh, my…oh my god..!" he breathed in fear.

The rest of the priestesses gathered around slowly in a circle, chanting some spell quietly as Sister Darksoul slowly approached Jaeris. "The night is that of the full moon!" said Darksoul loudly as the priestess chanted slowly. "And on this night, mother death calls upon us to search for the purest one in the land. We have searched all month and finally, the purest has come to us!" she indicated Jaeris, who was now trying to shake the chains off.

"This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening," he muttered hysterically under his breath.

"Krypta demands the blood of the whole so that death may come upon us one day!" cried Darksoul. "Will we let her down?"

"No!" shouted the priestesses.

"Will we allow the one with purest blood to scamper away from his destiny?"

"No!"

"No!" agreed Darksoul. She stared down at Jaeris. "Your blood shall be the offering to Krypta," she told him menacingly. "Yours being the purest blood in the land of Ardania, Krypta calls to you. There's no escape!"

_She-she's crazy!!_ thought Jaeris, staring in fear at Darksoul as she rolled down one of his sleeves a little.

"You of innocent heart, fear not death," she said softly. The priestesses chanting grew louder as moonlight shone down at Jaeris and Sister Darksoul. "All shall meet death one day…"

_No, no, no, no…!_

Darksoul raised the knife high in the air, and with a loud cry, she brought it down upon Jaeris's wrist.

Jaeris winced greatly, bracing himself for pain.

Darksoul made a small cut on his wrist, and carefully took a small drop of blood from the cut. "Sisters, rejoice!" she yelled, raising the knife with the blood drop on it. "Krypta shall be satisfied, for the blood of the innocent one has been spilled!"

As the priestesses cheered loudly, Jaeris opened one eye. _I'm… I'm alive…?_ Carefully, he looked at where Darksoul's knife had cut him. It was barely more then a paper cut. "Tha--Tha--That's it?" stammered Jaeris.

The cheering stopped suddenly, and Darksoul turned around slowly to Jaeris as all the priestesses stared at him. "Yes, innocent one, that is all."

"…Oh," said Jaeris slowly, his heartbeat returning to normal. "Oh, okay."

"Why?"

"Oh, nothing, I just thought it be more painful then that," said Jaeris, looking at the paper cut in disbelief.

"We can make it painful if the innocent one wishes it," said Darksoul, raising the knife.

"JESUS CHRIST, NO!!!!" yelled Jaeris.

"…?" asked Darksoul.

"Uh… no--no, no thank you!" said Jaeris.

"Okay." Darksoul lowered the knife and unchained Jaeris from the table.

Jaeris sat up shakily. "So--so," he stammered. "I can go now?"

Darksoul bowed her head mockingly. "Yes, innocent one, you may go."

Jaeris hopped off the sacrifice table and walked towards the door, pulling out a band-aid. "Paper cuts run deep, you know," he called over his shoulder, putting the band-aid on the paper cut, closing the door behind him. "Ouch! Damn, I hit my toe…" the priestesses heard Jaeris shuffle his bag for something, and heard the click of his "magic light". "Ah-hah, I can see now!" they heard his footsteps retreating.

"Is Krypta really satisfied with the blood of _that_ one?" asked a priestess.

"She must be," answered Darksoul with a shrug. "Otherwise she'd curse us to forever life…"

The priestesses shuddered. "Let us hope not," said another priestess.

Darksoul nodded, and set the knife on the sacrifice table. "Yes, let us. Our ritual is complete. Let us now move on…" Darksoul opened the door, allowing the priestesses to shuffle out of the room in twos, Darksoul finally being the last to leave.

**Back with Jaeris…**

Jaeris had sprinted away from the temple as soon as he had saw the entrance, and soon found himself near a guild of some sorts. "Phew…" he sighed. "Those girls are soo creepy… Who worships death anyway?" he asked to himself. He turned around and walked into a tall person, knocking himself to the ground. "Ouchie!" Jaeris yelled. "Hey, watch where your--" Jaeris cut himself off with a small "Eep!"

A giant, 6 foot tall something was glaring down at him.

"oh my god.." gasped Jaeris.

"_You_ watch where you're going," growled the giant.

"Uh--ok-okay! Sure!"

"Now out of my way!"

Jaeris had to problem obeying this command; he scrambled out of the way, and the giant stomped by, glaring at him over his shoulder as he entered the guild.

"What _was_ that thing?!" asked Jaeris to himself.

The giant stopped and whirled around. "Thing?!" he repeated.

"Uh…! Ah, I mean… uh…"

"What do you mean, 'thing'?" demanded the giant, stomping towards Jaeris.

"I--I didn't mean anything by it!" laughed Jaeris nervously. "I was just… eh… Complimenting you!"

"Complimenting?" repeated the giant.

"Yeah," agreed Jaeris. "You know, you're so…er… tall and muscled! I mean, check them biceps and abs!"

"…what?"

"…you know, you're a big guy," said Jaeris. "You must be really strong!"

"Well…flattery works, keep going," said the giant, lowering his scythe.

"You… have a big scythe," said Jaeris, eyeing the scythe apprehensively.

"I know, deadly isn't it?" asked the giant. "I just killed a Rat Man with it," he said proudly, flipping the scythe around showing a rather bloodier shine.

"Oh my!" cried Jaeris.

"I know! In one swipe… SHLING!!! His head severed leanly in one cut, but that wasn't enough for me! Whack bam clang smash wham! The Rat Man never stood a chance!"

"I--I'm sure he didn't," said Jaeris, feeling frightened now.

"Now go away," said the giant.

"Of--Of course!" said Jaeris, and he hurried off.

"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!!!! COME TO PAPA!!!!" yelled the giant suddenly.

Jaeris screamed loudly and hurried away, unbeknown to the fact that the giant was talking to a troll who was about to attack a peasant house. He ran and ran and soon he tripped and stumbled into a random temple. "That--that was scary!" he gasped, leaning on the steps, trying to catch his breath.

He soon heard some wild caterwauling from inside the temple.

"…? Natives?" asked Jaeris to himself, and got up to have a closer look.

What he was saw about 15 or 16 midgets dancing around a statue of some god. They chanted and danced and sung, and one of them stopped upon noticed Jaeris. Jaeris blinked in surprise as the midget scooted closer to him.

_Oh my god, now what have I done?_ Jaeris asked himself desperately.

"EVERYONE, STOP!!!" howled the midget, and all the midgets stopped dancing and chanting and turned to face Jaeris. "Look, the adept Jaeris Moonshadow has decided to honor us with his presence!"

The midgets cheered loudly. Jaeris looked around. _Now I know I'm crazy_, he thought to himself.

"Tell us what brings you here!" asked the midget.

"…uh…Could you tell me what exactly all of you are?"

"Oh! You wish to know the cultists, do you?" asked the midget.

…_cultist doesn't sound so bad… at least it beats a death worshipper and a giant…_ "Sure."

Without warning, all the midgets started chanting and trilling again, and danced around the statue of the god as the midget who greeted Jaeris raised his arms to the sky. "I am Shining Moon, the Fervus cultist!" he announced grandly. He turned to the rest of the cultists and shouted at the top of his lungs, "THREE CHEERS FOR FERVUS!!!!"

"YAY, YAY, YAY!!!"yowled all of the cultists, stomping the ground three times.

"Hear hear," muttered Jaeris sarcastically.

Shining Moon scuttled towards Jaeris and gave him a curious sniff. "Yep, you've met the rest of my family," he said.

"Wha…? I never met no other midgets--cultists," Jaeris corrected himself.

"I never said they were cultists as well. You met Ryoko and Tenchi, haven't you? They're scent is fresh… You must have just recently met them."

"Huh…?" asked Jaeris. "I'm sorry, but I'm drawing a total blank."

"That priestess who sacrificed you to Krypta was my sister, Sister Darksoul, but her real name is Ryoko."

"Oh," said Jaeris, thinking about the yellow-eyed, back-haired, white-skinned individual who had "sacrificed" him to Krypta. "Ryoko? Can I call her that?"

"If you want," said Shining Moon, shrugging indifferently.

"And…er, the giant, who was that? What was his name, and what was he anyway? I mean, there's no way on earth a guy can look like _that_ unless he's on steroids or something!"

"Steroids?" repeated Shining Moon. "Isn't that an American drink?"

"A…drink? No, it's an illegal drug in America," said Jaeris.

"Illegal drug? So now it's illegal? Before, it was a gift from the gods last time I heard."

"Uh… sure…"

"Never mind. I'm sure you were talking about my big baby brother Tenchi, right? He's a Warrior of Discord."

"…a what?"

"A warrior of Discord," repeated Shining Moon. "You know, the warriors that are made from chaos here themselves? They are spawned here, you know. The warriors of no normal mind… The problem is…"

"Problem?" repeated Jaeris. "How can a guy like that have problems?"

"He has yet to reach insanity," said Shining Moon, his head drooping slightly. "Every Discord Warrior has no sense of reason and speak only chaos. Tenchi, however, hasn't yet…"

"Oh," said Jaeris, not sure if he should be sad or delighted. "Uh…okay."

"So, you like the family?" asked Shining Moon. Jaeris shrugged. "Yeah, I know, we have that effect on people. Many see us chaos worshippers as crazy, weird, eccentric…"

"I don't blame them," muttered Jaeris in undertone.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing!" said Jaeris hurriedly. "I'll see you later! I have to patrol the city now!" Before Shining Moon could answer, Jaeris turned around and darted off in the direction of the marketplace.

"Phew… what weird people…. This is a weird place… So this is was Ardania is all about…" Jaeris looked around. "Well, I'll think about that later. I've really got to get going…" Jaeris darted off again, but this time he crashed into someone thrice. "Ouchie!" yelled Jaeris as he hit the ground.

"You again?" asked Tenchi.

"Eep! Uh, hi!" said Jaeris, trying to sound cheerful. "How are you?"

"Fine," grunted Tenchi, and he stalked past Jaeris into the marketplace.

"Oh, dear," said Jaeris, "he's still a bit scary…" He looked up, and saw an old man, a middle-aged man, and a tall muscled man standing right in front of him.

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**Well, here's where I'll leave you. A small cliffhanger, don't you think? Is this story to your liking? Thank you for your reviews, it means a lot to me. See you later!**


	3. Chapter 3: Friends with Benefits

** Majesty: The Misadventures of the Lost Brother**

**Disclaimer: **Fairy Red seems to be enjoying herself.

**A/N: **Maw ha, ha, ha, you know it! :D Let's move on.

**Chapter Three: Friends with Benefits**

* * *

Jaeris looked up at the trio. "Uh… Sorry," he said shortly, standing up. "I didn't mean to get in your way."

"That's quite all right," said the wizard. He narrowed his eyes at Jaeris. "I don't believe I've seen you around," he said. "Are you a new adept?"

"Ye--no, I'm not new, I'm Jaeris Moonshadow," said Jaeris.

"Hmm…" muttered the wizard. "I'll be seeing you around," he said. He gestured for his two followers to follow him, and they walked away.

Jaeris watched them walk away. "Wow, what a bunch of weirdoes," he said to himself, and carried on through the rest of the patrol. He stopped at the Krypta Temple on the way back, staring at the temple. "Those… that place is really creepy," he muttered.

"What are you doing here?" asked Sister Darksoul.

"Ah!" Jaeris whirled around. "Ah, it's you!"

"Don't stare at the temple," said Darksoul. "Krypta dislikes being stared at."

"Uh…right. Sorry." Jaeris took a few steps forward, then stopped and turned around. "Hey, your name is really 'Ryoko', isn't it?"

"What? Who told you my name?"

"Hah! Your brother Shining Moon did!" said Jaeris proudly. "He says you and I should try to get along!"

"…well, don't call me Ryoko," said Darksoul. "Only my closest friends and family can call me by that name."

"So we're not on a first name basis yet, huh?" asked Jaeris. "Well, that's fine! Let's get together and get to know each other! Then we can be friends! Sound good?"

"…do what you like," said Darksoul, entering the temple.

"All right, then!" said Jaeris. "Then I'll see you tonight! For dinner or something? Huh?" but Darksoul didn't answer; instead she vanished into the temple. "Wow, she still is a bit creepy…"

"Jaeris!" called another adept, running towards him.

"Huh…? What?" Jaeris turned around. "What is it? I'm patrolling here, okay?"

"No, not the patrol," said the adept. "Zintar wanted me to remind you to renew your supply of healing potions and elixirs. When you do, change your route to around the Wizard's Guild and the ranger's tent. Double back to the embassy behind the marketplace, then return home. Then you're free for the night!"

"I…um, what?"

"Good luck! I'll be taking over your shift!" with that, the adept nodded and hurried off the in the direction of Jaeris's first route.

"…uh…" Jaeris pulled out his map. "Well, darn, I finally had this route memorized…" he erased the first path he drew and marked the second route. "I'm sure this is the right route. Let's go this way again." He put the map away and took off towards the marketplace. "What kind of junk can I buy here? Healing potions, right?"

"If you're looking for healing potions, adept Jaeris, ya came to the right place!" said a merchant enthusiastically. "I stock the best potions in the whole kingdom!"

"Oh, sweet!" Jaeris walked over to him, not even questioning how the merchant knew his name. "How much?"

"For a pack 'o ten, only 30 gold!"

"Sounds like a fair deal to me," said Jaeris, reaching for his wallet. But he stopped when he remembered he didn't have this kingdom's currency. _Shoot, I still have cash…will they take cash? I doubt it…_

"Well? You gonna buy?" asked the merchant.

"You trying to cheap out this here adept?" asked another merchant. She gestured to her own wares. "I got the best, straight from the temples of Agrela! And for a set of ten potions, only 25 gold!"

"Ooh, 25 gold?" Jaeris walked over to her stand.

"Ah, that's a lie!" said the first merchant. "Mine may be a tad more expensive, but you know it's because they're the real deal!"

"That's true, too," said Jaeris, glancing at the other merchant's stall. "Um, but I…you see--"

"Of course, _anyone_ would say that to make buyers doubt the quality of my potions," said the second merchant. "You want the better deal, adept Jaeris, it's right here!"

"Hey, if you buy from me, I'll throw in a teleportation amulet, free of charge!" said the first merchant.

"I…what?" Jaeris's head was spinning. _Why the hell are they arguing if they're selling the same things? I'm getting confused here… _"Um, that sounds nice, but…" He would have left right then and there, but his mother always told him it's rude to enter a store and not buy anything, even in a fantasy land.

"Hey, tell you what, adept Jaeris, I'll sell 35 potions for 25 gold!" the second merchant crossed her arms.

"Like that will--"

"Wait, ah, stop you two!" said Jaeris hurriedly. "Stop for a sec!"

The two merchants were about to argue, and stopped to look at Jaeris..

"Thank god… all right, you two, I'm honored you both want to sell me your stuff. But if you're both selling the same thing, why don't you just combine stocks?"

"Combine…?"

"Stocks?" the two merchants exchanged glances.

"Yeah! So that way, people could buy what they're looking for without the hassle of who buys what from who! It would save us all a whole lot of time." Jaeris nodded. "Huh? Sound good?"

"Well…I admit I never thought of that before," said the second merchant sheepishly.

"Why, you're as wise as they say, adept Jaeris!" the first merchant laughed heartily. "Sound good to you?"

"It does make sense…yes, let's combine our stocks, like adept Jaeris says!" the second merchant lifted up the huge crate of potions and various items (much to Jaeris's surprise), and walked across to the other stall. "I'll enjoy workin' with ya!"

"Hah, same to you, missy." Rivalry forgotten, the two merchants shook hands.

"Well, now that that's settled…" Jaeris turned to walk out of the marketplace empty handed, trying to forget what his mother said.

"Oh! But adept Jaeris, weren't you gonna buy something?" the merchants were now watching Jaeris expectantly.

"…" Jaeris bit his lip guiltily and turned around. _Mom's lessons aren't so easy to forget…_ "Uhm…I think I'll browse real quick before purchasing something…"

"Sounds good to us!" the first merchant said.

With a weak nod, Jaeris walked around the rest of the marketplace. _I'm gonna be stuck here forever,_ he thought glumly. _Unless by some miracle I find gold or whatever…_ "Oh?"

On the ground near the edge of the marketplace was a small pile of gold.

"Ohh…t-this must be it!" hardly believing his luck, Jaeris quickly picked the gold up. "Whoa… 13 pieces of gold here. I wonder what that'll buy here…"

"Do you need some help, adept Jaeris?"

"Ah--!" Jaeris whirled around, and the wizard he ran into earlier stood there. "Whoa-- I, no, I'm fine, I got money, hah."

"Now, now, adept Jaeris, that's no way to treat a friend," said the wizard. "I remember you always had trouble with money."

"I…did?" Jaeris tilted his head in confusion. _Whoa, did this guy know the real Jaeris? I can always play the memory-loss card…_

"Yep. If you need a memory boost, I'm Jeffry. Jeffry the Mumbler, your good friend," said Jeffry, giving a deep nod.

"Oh…aaah! Yes, er, Jeffry!" Jaeris laughed nervously. _Just go with the flow…_ "Um, yeah, my memory has been very fuzzy…"

"That's understandable, you were given a tough mission," said Jeffry with a nod. "Why, not even the great paladin Algohra herself could have escaped that fray without some damage. I can forgive you for forgetting me, old friend."

"Yeah…thanks…er, Jeffry," said Jaeris. _I remember this brat kid at school named Geoffrey, _he thought to himself. _Glad this guy's at least more friendly…_

"And you too forgive me for forgetting who YOU were earlier, right?" chuckled Jeffry.

"Ohh, sure, you bet all is forgiven!" said Jaeris with a nod.

"All right. Well, then here, friend, take this. Let's hope you'll be able to hold on your own next time, eh?"

"Definitely," said Jaeris, taking the bag of money from Jeffry. _Whoa, friends with benefits... Jaeris sure is one handy guy! _He weighed the money bag. "Yes, this should be good…Thanks, man!"

"Take care, adept Jaeris." With a wave, Jeffry left the market place, his two escorts from earlier following.

_Well, this will be good,_ thought Jaeris, heading back to the stall. "Hey, I'll buy something now."

"Oh, great, we are honored, adept Jaeris!" said the merchants.

As Jaeris went to buy the healing potions and items he needed, Jeffry crossed his arms and watched. "Well, it's too early to tell if that really is Jaeris or not, but he definitely has the same power as last time. Marke," he added, turning to the ranger.

"Yes, Jeffry?" Marke turned to Jeffry.

"When we're not watching the delivery of our caravans, keep an eye on him. Our king was interesting in enlisting that adept into his kingdom, and he may make the same demand again. As ambassador in charge of the embassy, we have full control once we get him to Gar Uta."

"I understand, Jeffry," said Marke, nodding his head.

"What about me?" asked the barbarian standing opposite to Marke.

"Well, Brute…" Jeffry chuckled. "You will know what to do should he show any resistance when the time comes, won't you?"

"Ohh…" Brute smirked and nodded. "I see…then I will wait for that part in the plan, Jeffry!"

"Good…" Jeffry glanced up at the sky. "Well, time to get moving. Our king will be most pleased once we deliver the news…" He turned and headed out to follow the caravan, Marke and Brute close behind him.

Back with Jaeris, he was pocketing the potions he bought and tying on the teleportation amulet. "Whoa, this junk is pretty neat… Now, to resume my patrol!" He exited the marketplace and continued the path up the two vast guilds built next to each other. "I'm guessing these are the places I'm meant to patrol…"

The Wizard's Guild was vast and tall, looking both impressive and intimidating. The ranger's camp huddled next to the guild looked pretty shabby, with a few tents set up and a small campfire. A ranger sat at the campfire, planning his next move, while some other wizards grumbled to themselves as the walked to and from the library close by.

"Busy little kingdom," remarked Jaeris as he walked by. "I wonder if I could really get used to this place for now…maybe my old buddy Jeffry could give me another hand?"

"Did I hear someone say 'old buddy'?" asked a hyped voice behind him.

"Wha…? The midget…?" Jaeris turned around, and sure enough, the midget Shining Moon was standing behind Jaeris. "Hey, it's you…erm…"

"Shining Moon. What are you doing slacking off on your patrol? You're supposed to be the prime example of an adept of Lunord!"

"Yeah, Shining Moon. I am on patrol duty, that's why I'm all the way out here," said Jaeris. "Don't you have a job as well?"

"No, I get the night off," said Shining Moon. "I was about to go collect some poisonous plants, then charm an animal or two into my service!" he chuckled evilly. "Much fun."

"Eh...I'm sure it is. Why don't you go and do that, and I'll continue my patrol."

"Oh, you're no fun," sighed Shining Moon. "Well, then you go about your business!" he gave a mock bow and scuttled off, shouting over his shoulder, "Three cheers for Fervus! Yayahhahahahahey!"

"…little guy is crazy as ever," sighed Jaeris. "Maybe I won't get used to this…right away." He looked around; it was still nighttime, though a faint pink tinted the skies in what Jaeris figured to be east. _Well, it's only 2:35 AM,_ he thought, checking his watch. _I guess it's summer if the sun will rise sooner. Better resume my patrol…_

With that, he took off towards the embassy. "I wonder what the embassy does…?"

It might have been the fact that it was late at night, but the place didn't look nearly as grand or busy as Jaeris imagined it would. It was a tall white building adorned with gold decoration; it looked fairly new compared to the other buildings around. The fancy sign next to the door read the following:

"_-The Grand Embassy of Ardania -_

_To support growing settlements and kingdoms, the best heroes. Assign yourself to a new mission in a new land! Once you reach level 10, come to the embassy to start your new heroic life!"_

"Huh…how cool…" Jaeris looked up at the building. "Level 10, though? What does that mean? You're not telling me these 'heroes' go by a level system…"

"The heroes do go by a level system," said a voice behind him.

"Whoa--" Jaeris turned around. A bald young woman in mahogany and blue robes stood there. She didn't look a day older than Jaeris, yet he couldn't help feeling like a child next to her mature air. _She reminds me of my mother…_ "Um…level system? Are you serious?"

The young lady looked a bit surprised. "You really have lost your memory, adept Jaeris… Well, it wouldn't hurt to give a quick reminder. All heroes training in the Majesty's kingdom have an enchantment cast upon them. It allows our king to know how the heroes are growing. We can check our own stats as well…" she pulled out a small scroll and held it out to Jaeris.

_This girl knows Jaeris too? How many people does he know? _He took the scroll and read it over. _Ohh…so her name's "Kim"…a healer…level 9…dang, this is some cool spell. Do I have one of these?_ Kim watched patiently as Jaeris finished reading the scroll. "Well…interesting, to say the least," said Jaeris at last, handing her scroll back. "Um…Kim, right?"

"Yes, my name is Kim," said Kim, bowing. "I hope you forgive my rudeness."

"What rudeness?"

"I shouldn't have snuck up on you. But I wanted to make sure it was you, adept Jaeris. It's been months, and if you remembered, I wanted to know if the king has spoken with you yet?"

"No, you weren't rude…what?" Jaeris blinked in surprise. "What, why would the king want to see me? It's in the middle of the night."

"Oh dear, I was being tactless again… do forgive me," said Kim, bowing again.

"Whoa-- hey, cut it out, its fine," said Jaeris hurriedly. "I…ah, I'm the who should be apologizing, for forgetting and all…" he laughed nervously. _Even though I have yet to actually do anything wrong here…_

"Perhaps his Majesty is waiting for Lady Algohra to come back first," mused Kim. "It makes sense that he would see you two together, you're both the best of your class."

"The best…? Wha- Really?" Jaeris bit his lip as his head swam with all these confusing thoughts. _Man, this Kim girl is raising more questions than I wanted answered… Ohh man, they won't expect…the best, me? That can't be…_ "Um, Kim… uh, is there somewhere we can meet? Later? You seem to know a lot, and could be a big help."

"You're on a patrol now? Oh, I've been unbelievable rude tonight!" Kim looked shocked as she bowed again. "I guess I was happy to see you again, it slipped my mind… It's been a huge relief among the populace that you returned from the dead. A miracle really…" she looked up at the sky. "Perhaps at the royal gardens by the castle? Lady Algohra is expected to return tomorrow, and no doubt his Majesty will have an audience with the two of you."

"Royal gardens by the castle… um, sure, can't be too hard to miss," said Jaeris, giving a nervous chuckle again. "What time?"

"What…time?" Kim tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I…um, look at this." Jaeris lifted up his watch. "I…well this was given to me…in America. It can tell time."

"Tell time?"

"Yeah… see, it's now 2:48 AM. It keeps track of the hours for us."

"Oh…it's amazing!" Kim looked up at the moon, then back at the watch. "It keeps track of the sun and moon's position? Why, only a very powerful wizard or sorcerer could come up with such an item!"

"It's called a watch," said Jaeris, feeling bemused by her amazement. _I guess something like this really is a new concept…_ "Well, like I said, it can keep track of time. Um…would noon be okay?"

"Noon?"

"Um…you--you know when the sun is directly overhead? When everyone is getting ready for lunch?"

"I don't know what you mean by lunch, but I do know when the sun is overhead. I go there to meditate at that…time." Kim nodded. "We can meet there, then."

"Oh, sweet! It's settled then, I'll make sure to meet you there at noon." Jaeris nodded. "Um, thanks, Kim, it'll be great to talk with one of my old friends again."

"Friend? You and me?" Kim looked a bit surprised now. "I--I never knew you considered me a friend. I'm honored…"

"Uh, um, of course," said Jaeris. "Well, I gotta resume my patrol…"

"Yes, I understand." Kim bowed. "Agrela's blessing on you, adept Jaeris."

"Y-Yes, and to you to," stammered Jaeris hurriedly, bowing too as Kim walked away. _Huh… She has the mature air like my mother, yet she seems…a lot like my younger sister. Bright but naïve, is that the right term? She certainly seems nicer than gloomy Ryoko, oddball Moon, and bulky Tenchi… I hope to get SOME of my questions answered… Ah! Shoot, my patrol!_ Jaeris groaned in annoyance and carried on.

His head swam with more and more thoughts, trying to take in all he learned this evening. Loud caterwauling from the Fervus temple brought Jaeris out of his reverie, as there were more cultists gathered at the temple then Jaeris remembered. _What are they up to this time?_

"Children of Fervus! I have an offering that is far worthier than anything that could have arrived!"

"What kind of offering? What kind of offering?" chanted the other cultists.

_Oh, of course, it's the head honcho midget,_ thought Jaeris, crossing his arms and learning against one of the statues. _This looks interesting…_

"A bizarre item that even I cannot make sense of! It is made of strange materials… no doubt it came from the bizarre settlement of America!"

"How bizarre! How bizarre!"

"Very bizarre!" yowled Shining Moon. "But we shall see if it is bizarre enough to satisfy Fervus! I took to great lengths to get this item of offering… BEHOLD!" Shining Moon had held up…

"Ah! M-My GBA!" gasped Jaeris. "What--?! How…?!" Jaeris frantically checked his bag as Shining Moon placed the Gameboy Advance on an altar.

"How bizarre is this bizarre item? How bizarre is this bizarre item?!" yowled the cultists as they danced around the altar.

"Hey-- Ah, wait, you can't do this! Wait a minute!" Jaeris pushed his way past the cultists, but by the time he reached the altar, his GBA disappeared. "Ah! No! No, give it back!"

"Hush! Hush, hush, hush!" a handful of cultists tackled Jaeris' legs, bringing the teenager down.

Shining Moon and the rest of the cultists all held their breath, waiting to see if their god Fervus accepted the offering. After a few tense moments, a satisfied voice belched loudly across the temple. "I like this offering!" the voice was loud, yet it didn't carry past the temple; it had a rough edge, like a boy's voice, yet was high-pitched enough to be a girl's voice. And it was definitely childish. "If you bring me more bizarre items like this, I will be very satisfied! Three cheers!"

"THREE CHEERS FOR FERVUS! YAY! YAY YAY!" yowled the cultists, throwing leaves and twigs in the air. "YEAH! YEAH!"

"Waaahhh….no…those stupid midgets sacrificed to a bloody god of chaos… What a great night this will be…" Jaeris thumped his head on the ground as the cultists continued their celebrating for the night.

* * *

**End chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4: Time For A Prayer

** Majesty: The Misadventures of the Lost Brother**

**Disclaimer: **

**A/N: **

**Chapter Four: Time For A Prayer**

* * *

It was around 5 AM when Jaeris finally returned to the temple. _I'm so tired… I never thought the thing I'd love most, running, could make me so tired…_

"Oh! Jaeris, you're late!" one adept stood up. "Where have you been?"

"Pa…Pa…" Jaeris heaved a huge yawn. "Patrolling the city, what else?"

"But you said you'd be back before sunrise, and it's past the daybreak! We were getting worried."

"I got delayed by those priestesses, who sacrificed me to Krypta. Then I bumped into Tenchi the Giant." Jaeris rubbed an eye sleepily as the adept stared blankly at him. "And _then_ there were these midget cultists. My old buddy Jeffry and his pals, marketplace mayhem, a bald healer at the embassy…it was a chaotic night, cut me some slack here!"

"Ah…c-cut you some…slack?" The adept looked a bit frightened at this rhetorical request. "How should I…?"

"Ohh…man, just forget it, its fine." Jaeris rubbed his face and shuffled up stairs. "I'll be taking a nap!"

"Nap…? B-but Jaeris, I was waiting for you to return--"

"Ohh, fine, yes, the patrol, good luck!" said Jaeris, patting the adept's shoulders.

"No, not that. Jaeris, Lady Algohra has returned to the realm! I have a message from his Majesty."

"From the king himself?" Jaeris was incredibly sleepy, but he wouldn't be rude if it meant being spared of 'off with his head'.

"After the initial faire celebration, you and Lady Algohra are to answer the audience summons to his Majesty. I'm sure you two have much to discuss."

"I…I'm sure… heh, it'll be very important, I should be well rested and showered for the event, right?"

"Yes… Showered?" repeated the adept.

"…" Jaeris stifled a yawn as he turned and made his way back upstairs. _You're not telling me there's no showers around…there just HAS to be…_

"Oh! J-Jaeris, wait!"

"Ah! Man, what is it now!?" demanded Jaeris, whirling around. "Man, it's only 5 AM! I'm running on not even 30 minutes of sleep, and I--"

"Oh my, our adept really is cranky this morning," said a female voice.

"L-Lady Algohra! I'm sorry, I tried to…" the adept looked awed at the figure standing at the entrance.

"If this is a bad time, I can return later…"

"N-No, Lady Algohra, I can convince Jaeris to come down here…"

"What's going on?" sighed Jaeris in exasperation as he clambered back down the stairs to meet this mysterious woman. He stopped short when he saw her; a very tall, well-built woman clad in armor that seemed to glow. Her face was slim and had gentle curves, but her eyes were sharp and filled with pride. _Whoa…s-she's one impressive woman…_

"Ahh, adept Jaeris. You certainly have changed…" Algohra walked over to Jaeris, frowning as she looked him up and down. "In build and in stature…"

"Hey, I resent that," said Jaeris, feeling stung in spite of himself, as he disliked being the shortest guy in class.

Algohra chuckled. "You've changed in personality as well! I'll have to hear all about your adventure in America when you have time."

"Uh--no, I-I can talk now, it's fine!" said Jaeris hurriedly. _Man, this woman has such a proud voice…and her accent! It's almost British…except I doubt there's a Britain in this world…_

"No, I can see that you're tired, adept Jaeris. I wanted a quick briefing, but if we are to see his Majesty today, we should be well-rested and at our best. I suppose checking on you was an okay thing to do."

"Y-Yeah…" Now that Algohra was closer, Jaeris was able to see her face better. _Wow, she reminds me of the Ryoko girl…yet her eyes, I swear they look like Tenchi and Moon's eyes…is it possible…?_

"Then you get your rest, adept Jaeris." Algohra turned and nodded to the other adept. "As you were."

"Yes, Lady Algohra!" squeaked the adept, looking awed.

"A-And you to, Lady Algohra!"

"…" Algohra smiled and placed a hand on Jaeris's shoulder. "My friend, you do not need to stand on ceremony for me. Just 'Algohra', as it always was."

"J…Just Algohra?" Jaeris blinked in surprise. _I've heard her name spoken with such pride and admiration…a-and Jaeris was a friend of hers?! How am I going to live up to this now? _

As Algohra walked out of the temple, the adept clutched his staff. "S-she's just _amazing_, isn't she, adept Jaeris? I'm so honored to have been in her presence…"

"Yeah…" Jaeris heaved another huge yawn, despite his feelings of awe. "Oh my god, do I need a nap…"

"Ah! Of course, adept Jaeris!" the adept nodded. "This will be a great day for all of Ardania!"

Jaeris nodded sleepily and went up the stairs again, and into his room. "This night was way too long…" he kicked off his shoes and fell back-first onto the bed. "Oof…! Augh, hard…" he winced and rolled onto his side. "Sigh…now I'm having second thoughts about this whole 'becoming Jaeris' business…"

…_if you're going to start something, you damn well better finish it! No matter what!!_

"…mmm…." Jaeris snuggled onto the pillow with a resigned sigh."I can't do that, mom would never stand for it…I guess I'll continue, for just a bit longer then…" after checking his watch (the time was 5:49 AM), he closed his eyes and finally drifted into his first rest for a long while.

**Meanwhile, by the castle…**

"Good morning, Lady Algohra!" called a peasant in surprise.

"Lady Algohra! You're really back!" called another peasant.

"She has returned!" said a warrior from the guild.

The paladin Algohra calmly nodded to people who welcomed her back. She was on her way back to the castle, having returned from her mission in the northern territories. _As expected, the furthest northern point of Ardania remains unclaimed, and nothing lives there, save for monsters… his Majesty wished to expand a frontier kingdom up north… Now I wonder what's happened to Jaeris…_

"Lady Algohra!" the king's advisor hurried to Algohra as she stepped into the castle walls. "You are truly dutiful to return straight to the castle so soon after your return! Do you really wish to see his Majesty so early? Is adept Jaeris coming as well?"

"I wanted to press him to come at once, but he seemed very different," said Algohra. "He _has_ changed. I heard the rumors that he returned from the dead and was different, but…"

"Yes, his Majesty observed Jaeris's sudden return. I'm sure you'll discuss this news with his Majesty," said the advisor. "Ahh… Your highness!" the advisor rushed ahead to the throne room.

Algohra shook her head with a small smile as she continued on her dignified pace. _Adept Jaeris was a young man when I left…and now, it's like he's a young boy again. Sister Darksoul told me he died… I must know what happened to him. _

"Algohra the Pure." His Majesty the King stood from his throne and walked to Algohra, raising his arms in welcome.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for honoring me like this so suddenly," said Algohra, bowing.

"You are the bravest hero in all the land," said the king. "I would accept an audience with you at any time. What have you to report?"

"The far north is far more prosperous than I imagined," said Algohra, taking out a scroll of her notes as the king returned to his throne. "The ground is fertile, though the north-east has many swampy regions. If you wish to build a frontier settlement for more training grounds for heroes, the north-west regions that aren't claimed by King Discord are free."

"Your Majesty, this is an astounding new development!" said the king's advisor, nodding approvingly. "We can send a small contingent to the far north-west and build the frontier settlement as you wished!"

"The only threat I can see for now are a small clan of medusae and gorgons, but they won't make a move if we stay out of their nesting grounds." Algohra looked up from her notes. "Touris and America have stopped warring amongst themselves, for now. The Darklord has proposed to supply both kingdoms for a month if they can sign a treaty of peace again." She cleared her throat and looked down at her notes again. "We're keeping an eye on King Bob VI's new settlement in the north. It's rumored he's forcibly recruiting high-level heroes into his kingdom for protection. Finally, Queen Black on the Isle only reports a small varg invasion, but she assures us she can handle it with her own heroes."

The king's advisor chuckled. "You've been very busy this month, Lady Algohra! Very fine work, as expected of you!"

"Thank you," said Algohra, handing the scroll to the advisor. "I will return to the castle later today, for the fuller report. I hope to see adept Jaeris there as well, for we need to hear his story, whatever he can remember."

"I agree," said the advisor. "Whatever information he gained from his time in America may well be a boon for this country and these lands."

Majesty nodded to his adviser and looked to Algohra, who appeared to want to say something. "What is it, Algohra?"

"Sire, I hope to see my family later, if I have no other duties for me?"

"No." said Majesty. "You may go."

Algohra bowed. "Thank you sire." She left the room and headed out of the castle. The morning was still young; would her family even be awake at this hour? _I'll go check on one of them, to be sure…_

She headed for the warrior's guild, where her oldest son also stayed for training. But amongst the snoozing warriors in the bunks, he wasn't there. _Probably out hunting,_ Algohra figured. _I'll run into him sooner or later. Let's head out to the temples, I'm sure to find my daughter or second son there…_

She walked past the marketplace and onto the Krypta Temple, when someone tapped Algohra's back. "So! You really are back."

"Ah…Sister Darksoul…" Algohra turned around, giving the priestess a small smile. "Or would you prefer 'Ryoko'?"

"…just 'Sister Darksoul', we're in public," said Ryoko, looking embarrassed.

"Well, then, Sister Darksoul…do you know where Tenchi and Shining Moon are?"

"No, but I'm sure they're looking for--oh, here comes one," sighed Ryoko as Shining Moon tore down the path towards them.

"Mommy! MOMMY!!!" Shining Moon made a huge leap at Algohra, landing in her arms. "You're back!"

"Hahah! I'm happy to see you again, Shining Moon," said Algohra, hugging her second son. "I see you've grown some in the month I was gone."

"Shining Moon, get off her, she needs _some_ dignity," said Ryoko, looking disapproving of Moon's behavior.

"Poo, you're no fun, _Ryoko_!" said Shining Moon, blowing a raspberry at Ryoko and snuggling against Algohra. "Heheheh, it's good that you're back!"

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Honestly…Mother, can't you put him down?"

"He _is_ getting heavy now," chuckled Algohra, carefully placing Shining Moon on the ground again. "Let's find Tenchi and catch up at home, if you wish."

"Well, I don't have any other duties for the time being," said Ryoko. "I can spare a moment or two at home with you, mother…"

"I'll go find Tenchi and meet ya-- Ohh, never mind, there's Tenchi!" Moon jumped up and down to get Tenchi's attention.

"What are you… Lady Algohra?" Tenchi lumbered over to his family. "You're back, just like everyone was saying!"

"I have much to share with the king, but my official audience with him will be later, after the faire. For now, I'd like to stay with my family, to get away from the crowds. Shall we go?"

"I want to go! Ooh, ooh, let's go, guys!" said Moon, and without waiting an answer, he took Algohra by the hand and half-dragged-half-led her home.

"Sigh…let's go, Tenchi," said Ryoko, following after the excited Moon and the amused Algohra. "It IS the first time mother's been home in a month."

"Yeah…" grunted Tenchi, and he too followed his mother and siblings to Algohra's home, which was just down the beaten path from the warrior's guild. As great (and somewhat haughty!) a hero Algohra was, many were impressed that she would take the time to stay with just her family alone. A dedicated warrior, but always the kind and protective mother first.

**A few hours later…**

Jaeris was still dead asleep when an adept entered the room again. "Jaeris? Are you well-rested?"

"Zzzzzzz…" Jaeris rolled the other way and continued sleeping.

"Sigh…I don't remember him being such a heavy sleeper…" the adept frowned in concern and walked over to Jaeris. "Jaeris? Jaeris! You must awaken now!"

"Mm…zz….guh…?" Jaeris lifted his head sleepily. "Whazzat?"

"You're to be awakened now," said the adept.

Jaeris heaved a huge yawn. "Awakened…r-right now?" he glanced at his watch. "Man…i-it's only 7:58 AM…I got to bed not even an hour ago…"

"You were in bed by…'5' as you put it," said the adept, though looking confused at this use of numbers.

"Yes! And I only got 2 hours of sleep! 2!" Jaeris frowned and rolled the other way. "Why do I need to get up _now_?!"

"You always woke this early."

"I…gaah…" Jaeris rubbed his face in tired exasperation. "I'm sure I can be allowed to have just a few more hours of sleep, can't I?"

"But Jaeris, you always awaken to deliver the morning protection prayer. You also do the night prayer, but under the circumstances of yesterday, it was understandable that you miss it. But now, your duties cannot be ignored!"

"Bah…fine…fine!" Jaeris sat up irritably. "You got a script of my prayer or something? 'Cause I just can't remember for the life of me."

"Script?" the adept looked even more confused now. "As I remember, Jaeris, you never had your prayer written down."

"Well…I guess I'll make a new one…" Jaeris yawned again and waved the adept away. "Get out so I can get changed, I'll meet you downstairs for this prayer thing…"

"Ah…okay. Thank you, adept Jaeris! It'll be inspiring to hear your prayers again!" The adept looked relieved as he nodded and left the room.

Jaeris sighed. "Well, now this is a fine mess… I hope they won't expect me to actually use some kind of sacred language or the like… Or will they?" he frowned and crept to the door, opening it a crack. He could hear some of the adepts downstairs muttering amongst themselves.

"I'm very glad Jaeris will be able to continue the morning and evening prayers. They are always such an inspiration!"

"But is it really okay to ask him to say the prayers so soon after his return?" asked another adept, sounding worried.

"I am not worried," said the voice of the eldest adept, Zintar. "The wind lord would not ask of this from Jaeris this soon if Jaeris was not ready. Rest yourselves."

The other adepts sighed with relief. "Okay."

"…" Jaeris groaned and shut the door. "Pah, this is mean… How much sleep am I gonna expect to lose? And now, I have to say a prayer…in English, I hope?" he opened the door again.

"…and to hear them, in the ancient language! Jaeris is just as amazing as Lady Algohra! What an inspiration!"

"Ah…shoot." He closed the door again and sighed. "How am I going to learn a new language in five minutes? It's now 8:03 AM…Ah…" Jaeris glanced around the room. "There has to be SOMETHING in here…a great guy like Jaeris would keep notes or something! Or I could sneak out and find a library… No, I can't do that…"

The seconds idled by as Jaeris searched around the room. "Man, he kept this place neat…" Jaeris looked inside the small drawer, finding two sets of uniforms, though both were different styles. "No notes, though…I have choice, I gotta get out and find a library…"

He hurried to the window and looked outside. No adepts were outside, and no-one appeared to be in sight. "Now's my chance…" he climbed out the window and took off towards the marketplace. _Man, I'd hate to disappoint those adepts, but I really need to learn this language, pronto!_ Jaeris pushed aside the small guilt and panic that began to well up, and headed for the library that was by the wizard's guild.

"Well, you're out early!" It was none other than Jeffry the Mumbler!

"Ohh- Ah, Jeffry!" Jaeris laughed nervously. "Um, morning!"

"What could you be doing all the way out here? Your new patrol schedule is the night shift, is it not?"

"I, yeah, well…Wait, how did you know?"

"Heheh, Jaeris, friend, the whole kingdom knows when the great adept himself patrols this fair city!"

"Oh…gotcha…um, Jeffry, can I ask ya to help me out?" Jaeris looked around, then looked up at the wizard nervously. "Er, um, this library… i-is there any… Um, any books in there that teach different languages?"

"Like the ancient language that originated the prayers in worship to the moon god Lunord, that started far northeast in the region of Gar Uta?" guessed Jeffry shrewdly.

"Eh…y-yes…"

"Heh, yes, there are some inside," chuckled Jeffry. "Hopefully you're still a fast learner as you used to be. Come on, they're inside."

"Ah…man, you're awesome, Jeffry." Jaeris sighed and followed Jeffry inside the library. "If any adepts come around, try to direct them away from the library for me? I don't mean to ask so much, but I'm gonna need a while to relearn this language again…"

"For you, anything, my friend. I expect you've been terribly busy since your sudden return." Jeffry patted Jaeris on the shoulder. "You just teleport on home when you're done. Don't worry, I'll know when you're gone."

"Ah…gotcha. Gotcha…" Jaeris picked out the book and sat down with a weary sigh. "Man, am I glad he…er, I have a friend like you."

"Of course, my friend." Jeffry stood by the window and looked outside.

Even though he was keeping a lookout, he was so discreet it looked as though Jeffry knew he had every right to stand there, even if he had no reason. _Whew…my neck is saved, for now… Now let's tackle this language…_ frowning in thought and stifling a yawn, Jaeris quickly got to work and ready up on what he could on the ancient language.

_Well, if this really is Jaeris, then he really _has_ lost his memory,_ thought Jeffry, glancing at adept in question at the corner of his eye. _Even forgetting an ancient language…that's not something easily forgotten… I'll have to keep an eye on him. He still has…that strange power that King Bob VI wants for his kingdom…_ he glanced out the window and saw an adept just outside. _Well, better stall this kid_…

As Jeffry walked outside to direct the adept in another direction, Jaeris poured through the book. _I don't need to memorize the entire language today,_ he thought, writing a few phrases on his wrist and forearm. _Just enough to get through this prayer business…Man, and then I'll take a huge…_ "Yawwwwwwn……" _A HUGE nap…_

* * *

**End chapter. **


	5. Chapter 5: Right On Time

** Majesty: The Misadventures of the Lost Brother**

**Disclaimer: **

**A/N: **

**Chapter Five: Right On Time**

* * *

It was now 8:24 AM, and Jaeris finally had a good-sounding prayer written all over his left arm. "Lucky these adepts wear long sleeves," muttered Jaeris, rereading the prayer. "Sounds simple enough…"

"Heheh, sounds like you got it covered," muttered Jeffry, who was now flipping through a book. "Go out the back way, nobody will spot you."

"Thanks, man," sighed Jaeris. "This is a whole lot of trouble for you…"

"Nonsense, my friend. Go on now."

"Right…see you soon, Jeffry!" Jaeris placed the various language books away and hurried out the back door of the library. _Now how do I explain my sudden absence? _Thought Jaeris as he hurried towards the temple._ I could try to climb back into my window…or I could--_

"Oh! Jaeris, there you are!" a small group of adepts were outside the temple, and one of them stepped forward. "You suddenly disappeared! We were so worried! Where were you?"

"Er…um, you see, I…" Jaeris bit his lip guiltily. _Man, a couple of them look like they're about to cry… I guess it would have been awful if Jaeris had disappeared again…and now, how can I lie to them? Should I tell them that I've…"forgotten" the language?_

"You've found him?" Zintar stepped out of the temple. "Thank goodness. We were getting very worried. Did something happen?"

"Um…well…I…"

"I bet you needed a walk to clear your head," said the adept that woke him up earlier. "It's gotta be hard to suddenly jump back into your duties so soon!" the other adepts nodded.

"…y-yes, that's exactly it," laughed Jaeris nervously. "I needed…t-to clear my head."

"I see… Well, now that you have returned, Jaeris, let's not waste another moment." Zintar lead Jaeris and the other adepts inside the temple. "We're a little behind schedule, but the kingdom is sure to be fine during our prayer."

"Right then…right…" Jaeris cleared his throat and walked up to the main altar at the far end of the temple. "Right… Well, everyone, before we begin, I want you all to place your right hand over your heart. Go on."

The adepts looked between each other in confusion, but did as they were told.

"Yes…very good." As carefully and discreetly as he could, Jaeris raised his left arm up to the ceiling, checking his writing through a slit in the sleeves. "I shall speak this prayer in the ancient language. Ahem…

_Aer plega solagen ta foair son luna demus sa. Est fair aeris setlre dor folus dresmu, ich adepta shrai, sahn luna demus, exsediv, lin libren est jiyu, est chosen cloairus._

"…thank you." Jaeris bowed his head.

…_est chosen cloairus_," echoed the adepts, bowing as well.

_Man, I never thought the 'Pledge of Allegiance" would come in handy,_ thought Jaeris, feeling half-relieved, half-guilty. _But at least I can get some sleep now…_

"A…new prayer. But a very nice prayer," said Zintar. "I thank you, Jaeris."

"Of course…" Jaeris stepped off the altar as the other adepts returned to their duties. "Well, now that's done, I'd really like to get back to rest…"

"You do not wish to resume your daytime patrol?" Zintar glanced at Jaeris.

"Er…no, not right now…ehe…"

"Hmm…very well. You might be expected to be at the faire, so get as much rest as you can. I'll send someone to awaken you at sun-high."

"Ah…noon. Gotcha, I had to meet someone at noon anyway…" Jaeris checked his watch. "Eh, only 4…not even four hours from now…"

"Jaeris….what is that?" Zintar took a step closer to look at the watch.

"Oh…this." Jaeris lifted the watch up. "Er, it's called a watch. It keeps time…well, the position of the sun and moon, if you will."

"Does it now? Amazing… Where did you get this 'watch'?"

"Um…f-from America," admitted Jaeris nervously, remembering how the guards reacted to the word.

Indeed, Zintar looked mildly displeased. "It's strange that you would continue to wear something like this…did an American give it to you? I can only imagine a powerful wizard crafting something like this."

"I…honestly don't remember," said Jaeris with an uneasy chuckle. "Um, I'd love to talk about it more, but rest--I mean, I need rest now…"

"Of course. Rest well, Jaeris." Zintar nodded and returned to the map.

"…phew…man, this has been such a crazy run…" Jaeris shuffled upstairs sleepily. "But a night schedule doesn't sound too bad…even though it means being out of the sun." he entered his room and shut the door behind him with a sigh. "These guys worship a moon god, so it's not so surprising that the apparent best adept would take a night patrol. Maybe the 'Helia' girl Zintar mentioned a day or so ago follow another god. Would this Helia be a sun god then? Eh, I'll learn all about it later…"

He was about to fall right onto the bed, but remembered that it was made of rocks and very hard. "Mm." he carefully got onto it and pulled the blanket over himself. _Grah, I hope I can keep this up and find a way to end it so I can return home…I can only imagine how frantic mom and dad will be…_

Several moments passed by as Jaeris tried to return to sleep. But unfortunately, the crazy run had very much awakened him. As tired as he was, his body refused to go back to sleep.

"Grr…I hate when this happens…" Jaeris sat up irritably. "Darn it, mom's early-morning techniques won out yet again…" he sighed and checked the watch again. "Well, it's now 8:39. Maybe I can watch the faire preparations. Or go back to the library and continue studying the language…hell; I could even tour the rest of the kingdom! In fact, I'll do all three!"

Jaeris hopped out of bed and headed downstairs. "I guess I'm too awake to properly fall asleep," he announced as he came down the stairs. "So I wanted to walk around the kingdom. You know, get to memorizing it all again."

"Hmm…that isn't a bad idea," said Zintar. "All right, go on. Your new patrol schedule will now officially be in the evening and night."

"Gotcha…see ya, man." Jaeris nodded and walked outside the temple. "Well then…where do I go first? It's a big kingdom, but surely I won't get lost…"

Zintar looked to Jaeris. "The faire grounds are to straight down the path from the temple two leagues from the temple. You'll pass the meditation gardens on the way there, and there is the gazebo. Guard towers are all throughout the kingdom in a line, stretching to the North, South, East, and West. It is very hard to get lost in Majesty's Kingdom indeed, adept Jaeris."

"Oh, I guess I'll be on my way then. I'll be back in time for my duties…"

"May the Wind Lord be with you, adept Jaeris," said Zintar turning back to the adepts.

"Same to you… heh, let's go!" Jaeris took off in the direction of the castle. The entire town seem bustling with energy, even this early in the morning; the faire must mean a lot to the town. Peasants were bringing supplies from the castle to past the temple areas. _I guess there will be a lot of celebrating, _thought Jaeris as he watched a small group of the peasants fumble with folding a huge tent. _It's been ages since I last saw a ren faire…I guess it'll be worth checking out after all!_

After a while, he soon reached the castle and to the royal gardens. "Well, here are those meditation gardens that Zintar mentioned. Looks like someone's already sitting there, though…" Jaeris frowned and entered the gardens. _Looks like a…what was it…monks? The monks from the game…_

Indeed, a lone person was sitting at the center. He wasn't dressed very elaborately as other monks Jaeris had seen were; it was almost as if he were a lower ranking monk. He had long-ish black hair, held up by a ponytail, and his expression, while mildly relaxed, was also tinged with a worried frown.

_Ooh, this guy must be meditating,_ thought Jaeris, his sleepiness allowing him to get away with stating the obvious. _Eh, I suppose he won't mind if I hang out here, too…_ with that, he plopped down by some wildly colored flowers and heaved a huge sigh. "Maaan, I tell ya, relaxing in here for a bit is just what I need…"

"…" The monk opened one eye to stare at Jaeris curiously.

"I bet you know what I mean," continued Jaeris. "I mean, waking up at ungodly hours after getting little rest… Plus a pile of duties they expect you to suddenly pick up! It's not like everything will be slowed down if just one person takes a break! You agree, don't you?"

The monk loosened his meditation stance and shifted his position to face Jaeris. "….um…I-I…"

"…! Ah! Wait, don't answer!" said Jaeris frantically. "Whoa, I know being here with the 'great' Jaeris is a real honor, but I know for a fact that monks aren't supposed to talk in this ga-- you know!"

"Yes, I know that--" started the monk.

"So shush, man! It's fine, you don't have to break off your vow just for little ol' me!" Jaeris shook his head. "Man, this is crazy, being a sudden celebrity like this!"

"…i-if you would allow me to finish, I--"

"No! Good monk, you are still young! Probably as young as I am! To break off your vows so early in your life, in your monkhood, ah! Positively tragic! Just shush, like I said!" yowled Jaeris, panic and drowsiness driving him to rambling.

"……aah…." The monk bit his lip, looking even more worried than before.

"Whew, that is so much better…aah…" Jaeris messed his hair some. "What did you want to say?"

"…" the monk flinched a little. "You…wo-won't yell?"

"Naah, go ahead, talk if you must," sighed Jaeris.

"Um…I…. I'm not a full monk yet. I'm still training…"

"What?" Jaeris looked up at him. "You're speaking too quietly."

"…I…" the monk stammered, then bit his lip and looked away again.

"What, cat got your tongue? What's wrong?" Jaeris frowned. "Don't be shy, just go on already. I won't interrupt you."

"A-all right then…" the monk cleared his throat and spoke a bit louder. "I was saying that I'm not a full monk, that I'm training to be one."

"Oh. A training monk?"

"Yes… I--I thought you would know me since you know Lady Algohra, b-but I guess she hasn't got around to telling you about me yet…"

"No…she hasn't. She training you or something?"

The monk nodded. "It is an honor to be trained by her. She only trains heroes of high class, or those with a powerful potential… I don't know w-what she sees in me…"

"I'll say. Dang, man, you stutter literally every sentence!" Jaeris sighed. "Um, what's your name?"

"I'm Muy. And of course, you're Jaeris," said Muy with a timid smile.

"Ehe…that I am," agreed Jaeris, with a twinge of guilt. _How much longer before everyone learns I'm not really Jaeris…_

"Algohra is training you, too," said Muy quietly, as though he were talking to himself. "You aren't of a high class, either, from what I heard, but you are the best of the adepts in Majesty's kingdom…"

"Say, Muy, do you know everyone Algohra is training at the moment?" asked Jaeris. _That woman was training Jaeris, and she is training this Muy kid here. She's one busy woman if she has training and her regular duties to tend to!_

"Um…" Muy looked down shyly. "There is a warrior named Arthur, and the healer Kim. She just finished training her own son, Tenchi…"

"Aha…w-what?" Jaeris blinked in surprise. "Wha… Tenchi the Giant!? Tenchi, that crazy guy who isn't really crazy?! He…?!"

"Yes," said Muy. "How could you not know?"

"Oh…wow." Jaeris shook his head. "My hunch was right, he WAS related to Algohra… Yeesh, what a world…I don't know HOW I'll keep up…"

"I--I'm sure you'll do well," said Muy. "But I can understand why you feel so frustrated now. It's almost as if you've never done any of this before, t-that you're a fresh new recruit."

"You could say that, I suppose…"

"And then there's the fact you lost your memory," said Muy sadly. "Not remembering your past, your accomplishments…n-not even remembering the day you were accepted as the high-ranking adept for your god. Your past, your family…" he closed his eyes. "I d-don't even want to imagine what that is like, and yet you are forced to live with such feelings…it makes me sad…"

"…" Jaeris felt guiltier than ever. _Wow, now this kid is worrying about me for my "memory loss". You'd think some terrible tragedy happened by the look on his face… _"Um…Muy, really, it's fine."

"Huh?" Muy looked over at Jaeris.

"I'm--I'm pretty sure I'll remember everything soon," said Jaeris reassuringly. "I mean, if I'm gonna be training with you and Algohra and everyone else, I can't let it slow me down, right?"

"…yes, you're r-right…" Muy gave a small smile. "You've always been a brave type, even with your pacifistic nature. I wish I had half of that bravery, then I could be a full monk…"

"How long have you been in-training?" asked Jaeris curiously.

"For 3 years now," said Muy, hanging his head in shame. "I turn 18 in two full moons now, but most monks who train from childhood are monks by 15 years…around your age," he added, glancing at Jaeris.

Jaeris blinked in surprise. "Whoa, you know how old I am?"

"Of course." Muy frowned. "I learned all the ages of those I'm training with. Sir Arthur is 18, Kim is 17."

"That's…a peculiar habit," said Jaeris. "A bit unnerving, really…"

"It is a little odd, but it just happened after I failed the monkhood test two years ago…"

"Huh…" Jaeris nodded. "Well, I guess it would suck to know that monks younger than yourself have attainted full monkhood. Oh, but it's not a bad thing," he said hurriedly, catching a mildly hurt look. "It's like--like those stories of the flower that bloomed late!"

"The flower that bloomed late?" Muy glanced at Jaeris again in confusion.

Jaeris nodded. _Time for one of mothers stories from childhood…_ "See, in a garden…like this one for instance…" he looked around, and spotted a small little bud besides the wildly colored plants. "Come here, look at this bud."

"Oh…" Muy stood and carefully walked over to the bud Jaeris was indicating. "This little blue bud here?"

"Yes. It's summer, all the flowers should be in bloom like these ones here. But this one is very late, much like you are. But I bet ya, when it finally blooms, it'll be the best and prettiest flower of them all!"

Muy poked the bud, allowing it to take in more sunlight. "I…I do hope you're right, adept Jaeris…" he gave another small smile. "Thank you."

"Heh, of course, man," said Jaeris, feeling a bit pleased with himself. _He certainly looks more cheerful…_

"Muy! There you are," called another voice. Muy and Jaeris looked up to see a tall young man with straw blonde hair, with light green eyes. Clad from head to toe in plate-mail armor, with a blue scarf as an accessory, he looked very impressive standing in the sunlight. "I was looking for you," said the young man.

"Oh…S-Sir Arthur!" Muy stood up. "I was meditating…"

"And chatting with adept Jaeris," finished Arthur, walking into the garden, frowning. "You promised you'd help me assemble the laundry at the warrior's guild!"

"Er, y-yes, I'm sorry…" Muy looked down.

"Whoa now, Arthur, don't sound so harsh," said Jaeris, hurriedly standing up as well. "I was trying to cheer Muy up."

"That may be so, Jaeris, but duty comes before anything else," said Arthur, turning to Jaeris. "But Muy knows how I always fumble with the laundry. His lack of confidence is equal to my lethal clumsiness." He crossed his arms, looking bitter.

"Lethal clumsiness?" repeated Jaeris. "A brave warrior like you?" _Of course this guy's one of them warriors,_ he thought, remembering the game.

"I knocked over three baskets of finished laundry, straight onto some mud. Then another basket fell right into the soup, fresh clothes, mind you. Then against all odds, this man carrying a lit torch goes by. I bumped into him, he drops his torch, right onto the finished clothing!"

"Uh…wow…"

"That isn't the worst of it," said Arthur, looking at the sky with a sigh. "I tried to put the fire out with a huge blanket. Only the blanket caught fire, so I tried to get it away from the already-burning clothes. Except I tossed it into a barrel of apples. One barrel of apples, gone! In my struggle to get the apples safe, I knocked over another barrel of apples, which in turned bashed over a marketplace stand, and THAT toppled over and fell two tents that were set up for the faire today. The guild leader then told me to find you, Muy."

"A-At least it wasn't as bad as south-Valmorgen," said Muy quietly, looking up at Arthur with a small smile.

"Ah, Muy, south-Valmorgen was a festive compared to this disaster," sighed Arthur. "When Lady Algohra hears about this, she'll scold me again for sure…"

Jaeris stared between Muy and Arthur, completely bemused now. "That… that is…wow."

"You don't have to rub it in, adept Jaeris," sniffed Arthur, looking annoyed. "Even you moon boys are known for non-sneakiness."

"I wouldn't cause--cause all that damage!" said Jaeris, waving to a huge dark cloud of smoke in the distance.

"We best clean up the mess now," said Muy quietly before Arthur could respond. "Let's go right now, so it'll be done by the time the faire starts."

"Er…you're right," sighed Arthur. "Sorry to have to drag you into this again, Muy."

"No, don't apologize, I did promise," said Muy. He turned to Jaeris as well. "Er, t-thank you for earlier. I'll remember what you said."

"Yeah, sure thing…" Jaeris looked up at Arthur. _Sheesh, he looked so impressive when I first saw him. Figured a guy taller than me would be clumsy…_

"Anyway, I also ran into Kim on my way here. She said she'd be here soon to meet with you, adept Jaeris," said Arthur.

"What? Really…?" Jaeris checked his watch. "Man, we've been talking for a while! It's already almost noon!"

Predictably, both Muy and Arthur stared at the watch. "Hey, adept Jaeris, what is that?"

"This…oh, here I go again," sighed Jaeris, and he went to explaining the watch and what it does just as it turned noon on the dot.

* * *

**End chapter.**


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